COLDWATER TOWNSHIP ó Dorothy Barker, 70, of Coldwater died Wednesday morning in a single-car accident on Union City Road.

The retired school teacher and longtime teacher at the First Baptist Church preschool was southbound just north of North Lake Drive at a shallow curve when her right side tires left the road, causing Barker to lose control of the vehicle and strike a tree.

A neighbor told investigators he heard tires screech before the impact.The passengerís side of Barker car was crushed int as the vehicle went sideways and wrapped around the large tree.

LifeCare and medical first responders found Barker non-responsive when they arrived shortly before 10 a.m. Before firefighters could use jaws of life to cut Barker out of her crumpled car the Branch County Road Commission was called to remove dead limbs from the tree Barker had struck, as they were hanging precariously over the car.

Traffic between Narrows Road and State Street was closed for 90 minutes with the help of the road commission and Coldwater Police while Branch County Sheriff's Office deputies investigated the accident and fire and medical personnel could work the accident scene.

Vehicle speed and medical conditions may have played a role in the fatal accident, investigators said. The medical examiner has ordered an autopsy be performed on the victim.